Colorado State transfer Chane Behanan opts for NBA; never played for Rams

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Colorado State head coach Larry Eustachy announced Monday that Chane Behanan, a former national champion at Louisville who transferred to Colorado State mid-season, will forgo his final semester of collegiate eligibility after declaring himself eligible for the 2014 NBA draft.

“I know that this is an incredibly difficult decision for a young man to make, having been through this in the past with guys like Marcus Fizer,” Eustachy said. “It is clear that Chane has all the tools necessary to be successful at the next level, and my staff and I fully support his choice to enter the draft.”

Behanan enrolled at Colorado State in January, and was slated to compete for the Rams at the conclusion of the fall semester next season.

“After a lot of thought, I have decided to put my name into the NBA draft and begin my professional career,” Behanan said. “I want to thank Coach Eustachy and his staff for the opportunity to continue my college career at Colorado State, and for their support over the past five months. This was a very difficult decision, but after speaking with my family, Coach [John] Lucas and Coach Eustachy I knew that I had their support to make what I felt was the best decision for me at this point in time.”

During his time at Louisville, Behanan played in 91 games with 74 starts and averaged 9.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, earning NCAA Final Four all-tournament team honors while helping the Cardinals to a national championship run that included a win against Colorado State in the third round of the tournament in 2013.

He tallied five points and three rebounds in 20 minutes of action against the Rams, and impressed in the Final Four with 10 points and nine rebounds in the national semifinal against Wichita State before posting a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds in the national championship game victory against Michigan.